No Man’s Sky’s Switch release dropped alongside one of the most important updates since the game’s launch. Waypoint, also known as Update 4.0, introduces dozens of major changes that affect gameplay, as well as lots of improvements meant to streamline No Man’s Sky for new players.
Despite the fact No Man’s Sky’s previous updates have hit home for most players, Waypoint won’t make everyone happy. Among the hundreds of changes included in Update 4.0, there’s one that heavily affects gameplay at many levels.
Up until now, No Man’s Sky inventory was divided into two tabs: Technology and General. Even so, you could always install the technology on the General tab if you didn’t have space on the Technology tab. However, this is no longer possible, so you’ll be limited to the Technology tab for all modules and upgrades you want to install.
If you’re a veteran player who worked hard to install dozens of technology pieces and upgrades on your ship and expanded on the General tab due to lack of space, you’ll be losing all the modules once you install the Update 4.0 (you’ll find them in the Cargo inventory).
The maximum number of slots per inventory has been increased, with 120 item slots and 60 technology slots now available. Because of the size of the new inventory sections, you’ll now have to scroll down in order to see all the items in your Cargo tab. Additionally, your planetary vehicle, the Exocraft has had its inventory expanded and it’s now capable of making use of the technology inventory.
Photo: Hello Games
Players who used General inventory to install technology and upgrades will probably find their items in the Cargo inventory. Unfortunately, the upgrades that didn’t fit in the new Technology inventory have been “packaged,” which means you’ll have to reroll their attributes if you plan to install them again.
Another major change is the number of upgrades you can add to a technology module. Up until now, you could have six upgrades linked to a module, which made ships and multi-tools extremely powerful thanks to the adjacency bonuses. However, the latest update restricts the number of upgrades to just three, a major nerf for veterans.
For example, a ship that could jump 850 light years into hyperspace might only be able to jump 400-500 light years after the update. The same goes for other stats like shield and damage values of the ships.
After installing the update, many players found that they can no longer visit their bases due to the atmospheric conditions, which would have been perfectly fine to visit with their upgrades. On top of that, some found that they no longer have enough unlocked slots on the Technology inventory to add all their hard-earned technology modules, even though they had everything previously unlocked.
Photo: Hello Games
On the bright side, Hello Games only made the cost of purchasing new slots much lower. Also, you can now find Drop Pods directly with Exosuit Upgrade Charts, rather than having to feed data into the signal booster. This means that you can get more than 1-2 slots per planetary system. Simply buy a special map from a Cartographer and it will lead you to a Drop Pod where you can unlock a slot on your exosuit.
Because these damaged Drop Pods must be fixed before you get the reward, the game will now generate a marker and guide mission to assist the repair process, which will allow players to find their way back if they need to gather materials.
Another important change that affects gameplay is “dynamic difficulty.” The update makes it possible for players to tweak and adjust nearly all difficulty settings at any time during their playthrough. Also, an additional game mode has been added to the list, Relaxed mode. This is basically the Normal mode, but with almost no need to manage survival systems and maintain technology and resources.
Photo: Hello Games
There are literally dozens of difficulty settings that can be adjusted, including the option to disable life support or hazard protection management, the speed at which life support and hazard protection are depleted, how fast the scanner recharges, the amount of material yielded when mining and harvested, as well as whether sprinting is limited by life support drain and/or stamina.
No Man’s Sky’s Waypoint update significantly changes the way the game is played, especially for veterans, but there’s no reason to stop loving the game. Don’t forget to check out the full patch notes for even more details about Update 4.0.
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